December 02, 1993 - The East End's White -Pine WildernessDecember 2, 1993 • The Suffolk Times • 7A
The East End's White -Pine Wilderness
By Paul Stoutenburgh
It never ceases to amaze the to see the
wide variety our natural world has to
offer here on the East End. One reason,
of course, is that we lie about midway
between the north and south species of
plants and animals. Here we get the best
of both, giving us
FOCUS On world about us.
ust
Nature The other fea-
ture that makes
the East End so
interesting is the water that surrounds us.
It not only tempers our climate but
brings a variety of marine life from the
brackish headwaters of our creeks and
bays to the moderate salinity of the
Sound on the north and the true ocean
that plays host to the vast Gulf Stream to
our south. Our only shortfall is the
mountains we lack, but the glacial
moraine that runs through the spine of
the north and south shores helps give us
an inkling of what hills and dales are all
about.
Because of these features and others, a
person interested in the outdoors has
many places he can choose from to sat-
isfy his wanderings. Just last week I was
introduced again to a place so unique
that for all the world one would have
thought he was in New Hampshire or
Vermont. It took me into a true, white -
pine forest with its pine- needle floor and
quietness that only an area like that can
create. We even found the hilly terrain in
contrast with the usual level land of
Long Island and I found myself puffing
as we hiked up the steep, but clear, trail
that traversed the woods.
Pleasant Business
I had been brought along to check the
uniqueness of the area with the possi-
bility of it being given to the Peconic
Land Trust, of which I am a director.
Although our visit was an official
one, I couldn't help thinking how
lucky I was to be doing something I
thoroughly enjoyed and still
accomplishing the business of the
day.
The area is on our south shore
near the Grace estate, which puts it
in the general area of Sag Harbor. The
only other area that can come close to
matching it is to our west at the
Cathedral Pines of Yaphank, which is
now a county park.
White pine is what helped our early
ancestors build this country. It was an
easy wood to work and at one time was
common throughout the maritime
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgn
PINE WOODS —In the general vicinity of Sag Harbor, there are white pines growing that would rival the deep
woods of Vermont or New Hampshire.
provinces of colonial times. So popular
was its wood that the King of England
sent his official representatives to mark
choice trees for His Majesty's Navy and
the unauthorized cutting of these trees
carried the penalty of death. I have a
small building that our animals use
where the wide 16- to 20- inch -wide
boards are of that early vintage when
white pine was common.
Where trees, particularly evergreen
trees, grow close together they shade the
ground below and few, if any, plants can
grow. Here we walked, making no sound
The unauthorized cutting of
white pines carried the penalty
of death.
on the soft floor of pine needles, as the
50- to 60 -foot pines towered above us.
Occasionally we'd come across a real
old granddad with double the girth of the
others that had withstood the test of time
with its forest fires, hurricanes and
storms.
In the early years of this pine forest
there were windows of sunlight where
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occasionally a red or white oak had
taken root, but they were a rarity in the
center of the pines.
As we walked northward along the
yellow - tagged trail (provided by East
Hampton Town), we walked into pines
that were thinning out and therefore
allowed more variety. Here small sas-
safras could be found growing. The roots
of this aromatic tree were highly prized
by our early settlers, for it was used as
an ingredient in a variety of drinks and
medicines.
Mountain laurel with its evergreen
leaves stood out among the now -
leafless understory of our changing
woods. The only other evergreen
was the green leaf of wintergreen
that spotted the forest floor. This
plant always tempts me to crush a
leaf and smell its delightful aroma.
Now, where the pines become
thinner, high and low bush blueberry
showed their characteristic shape and
growth. Here and there we'd see an
occasional dogwood, that tree of white
splendor we see in the spring along our
highways. Some had been affected by
disease; others seemed to be able to sur-
vive the plague that is threatening all of
our dogwoods. Now and then a tall pitch
pine, that rugged, fire- resistant tree that
makes up our famous pine barrens, could
be seen.
The climax here was white pine but
for some reason hidden in time parts of
this handsome stand had thinned out.
Could it be man, fire or disease that had
opened the window to sunlight, giving
other plants a chance to become known?
As we walked along the trail the forest
once more changed back to its original
growth of pine.
Now sun was locked out. Our foot-
steps no longer swished through dry
leaves but rather were hushed again on
that soft carpet of pine needles. I was
once more in a world strange to us here
on Long Island where only few have
witnessed this unique world of white
pine.
Bridge Results
Mattituck Bridge Club
Nov. 24 Results
North- South: 1. Rob - Estelle Peltock; 2.
Helen Wolff -Dick Fernandez; 3. Liz -Jim
Giambalvo.
East -West: 1. Jack -Bea Karp; 2. Louise
Deland -Edith Boczek; 3. Erwin Kolbe- Dorothy
Sawyer.
Call Helen Wolff at 722 -4436.
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